Pinout for Pro164 PC/IF cable

[telxonmaster]

I need help on building a usb cable for my pro 164 scanner.

if someone can send me a pinout of the stereo plug corresponding to the USB data pins (+5v, data+, data-, -5v) i would greatly appreciate it.

I refuse to pay $30 for something that should cost only $10 because radioshack is greedy, especially since I can make it for under $10 in parts I already have.

any help would be greatly appreciated!

~will

 

[DonS]

The pins on the stereo plug do not correspond to USB signals (well, apart from ground). The GRE/RS cable contains an FTDI USB-Serial converter device.

 

[gmclam]

PRO-164/etc USB cable

I need help on building a usb cable for my pro 164 scanner.

The best way to go about it is to purchase a cable that is a "USB to COM converter". It will come with the drivers and then all you need to worry about is the interface to the scanner.

if someone can send me a pinout of the stereo plug corresponding to the USB data pins (+5v, data+, data-, -5v) i would greatly appreciate it.

I suggest you do a little searching. There are several threads here on RR on the topic. Here is one such thread. The PRO-164 uses a "stereo" connector, the signals are ground, receive (ttl) and transmit (ttl).

I refuse to pay $30 for something that should cost only $10 because radioshack is greedy, especially since I can make it for under $10 in parts I already have.

I highly doubt you have all the parts, and then you'll need the software driver as well. But in your defense, I only paid $16 for my USB cable, new from Radio Shack and not a discounted price. Shortly after that they raised the price to $35. Now that cable has been discontinued and they have a new one. FWIW, you can also purchase a USB cable from GRE (different color, same price range).

 

[DonS]

The best way to go about it is to purchase a cable that is a "USB to COM converter". It will come with the drivers and then all you need to worry about is the interface to the scanner.

Where "interface" is, of course, more than just a physical connector/pinout. I presume that's what you meant by "I highly doubt you have all the parts".

 

[gmclam]

Build your own USB cable

Where "interface" is, of course, more than just a physical connector/pinout. I presume that's what you meant by "I highly doubt you have all the parts".

Don, you and I both KNOW what this takes. I don't expect the new or casual listener to understand the scope of what is required. To them, it is just a cable that magically takes the USB signals and applies them to the scanner. And yeah while it might be nice to have a USB driver IC in the scanner, I know what that does to the cost and power consumption with the scanner.

I might add here that I have built my own cables from scratch; each a USB and a COM version. The COM version was "easy" as I already had the foundation from a product I designed back around 1994. But to build the USB cable from scratch, a USB to COM converter IC, such as the FTDI FT232R is required. But of course having ttl level serial signals is not good enough. My challenge was understanding what is required to make the same cable work on all GRE PRO-9x/PSR-xxx scanners.

 

[telxonmaster]

Thanks for all of the help.
I am a little more advanced than most "casual" readers, not an expert by any means, but I know a little about computer signals, interfaces, etc. (and always willing to learn more!)

I actually have a serial to stereo plug cable as well as a computer that still has serial ports. If that would work, i will be in luck. I might still need to switch the plug, if the signals aren't in the right order in respect to tip, ring, and sleeve on the plug. I'll get my voltmeter out and check the signals on this cable, but I believe tip is ground, ring is tx data, and sleeve is rx data.

As for not having the parts, I salvage lots of old computer, tv, radio, etc etc... parts, and have quite an inventory of less common parts, as well as other odds and ends.

Also, the employees at the rat shack by my house are the kind that will tell you to use a PNP transistor in a circuit requiring an NPN, or they don't even know what a transistor is, so if i can avoid dealing with people who know more about expensive cellphone plans than hobby electronics, all the better! ;-)

let me know if my serial cable will work, or what i still need. I will also check out the link to the other topic, and see what I can glean from it.

thanks again for your help!,
~will

 

[gmclam]

I actually have a serial to stereo plug cable as well as a computer that still has serial ports. If that would work, i will be in luck. I might still need to switch the plug, if the signals aren't in the right order in respect to tip, ring, and sleeve on the plug.

You can use a COM port, but you can't use the COM version cable RS used to sell to communicate with a PRO-164/etc. The older scanners, such as PRO-97, had a mono connector so transmit and receive signals were tied together. The PRO-164 uses a stereo connector, with transmit and receive separated.

The voltage levels of RS-232 signals (those directly from COM ports) are not compatible with this scanner. You need to use a voltage translator. Do you have one of those in your junk box? Certainly discrete components can be used, you can take a look at the COM cable schematic I posted a link to for ideas.

Also, the employees at the rat shack by my house are the kind that will tell you to use a PNP transistor in a circuit requiring an NPN, or they don't even know what a transistor is

They are retail sales people, not engineers.

I dont' know what kind of value you put on your time. If it is let's say $10 per hour, I'll be very surprised if you can get a working cable, with part cost of $0, in under 3 hours of time.

 

[telxonmaster]

I now have a working cable! It turns out I had an RS232 to ttl converter with 3 volt output in a box of parts I bought at a swap meet! I have just verified it works with my scanner, and have programmed it accordingly with some of the free software.

As for RS employees not being engineers, I don't expect them to be experts, necessarily, i'm saying they should know a little about the stuff they carry, and not give out erroneous info to customers.
You wouldn't consult a plumber when you need to re wire a house, would you? But I digress.

anyhow, thanks for all of your help, and have a nice weekend!
~Will

 

[n0rt0n]

telxonmaster

...Just picking up where telxonmaster left off guys - he starts a thread and no one answers his question directly - then he mysteriously comes back and says he solved his own question and never discloses the answer he came to
I'll fill in that blank here: Ground is the sleeve. RX is the tip. Tx is the ring.
Now someone like me in the future won't have to spend 90 minutes experimenting...
~Will #1

 

[telxonmaster]

Sorry about that, I had completely forgotten about that stupid cable! I still have the scanner, but I mainly just manually program it anymore. Your pinout sounds right, think I found mine online, maybe that's why I didn't post it, it's been over 5 years ago.